


Attributes

by FantasticalNonsense



Series: ADOW Premiere Challenge Prompts [5]
Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: ADOW Premiere Challenge, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Drabble Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-03-17 01:53:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18955531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasticalNonsense/pseuds/FantasticalNonsense
Summary: Five vignettes for five characters. For the ADOW Premiere Challenge WEEK FIVE || Favorite character trait(s) / Favorite romantic relationship(s).





	1. Agatha - Shrewdness

**Author's Note:**

> Doing something a bit different with fic. Rather than focus on one favourite character trait (because let's be real, I have several favourites and I don't like choosing between them), I decided to do a set of five drabbles in honour of Week Five of the ADOW Challenge. Remember to comment below! 
> 
> Disclaimer: "A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy)" is the property of Deborah Harkness and Bad Wolf Productions. The author makes no claim to these characters beyond the use of this fanwork. 
> 
> ADOW Premiere Challenge: [click here.](https://fantasticalnonsense18.tumblr.com/post/183957270920/thewhyldeone-di-elle-di-elle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shrewdness (pr. /ˈSHro͞odnəs/): noun; the quality of having or showing good powers of judgment.

Congressional politics were like an elaborate game of chess: everyone was trying to stay one step ahead of their opponent, shuffling about the board to gain a greater advantage. And like chess, it was a two-player game, one that concreted on the conflict between vampires and witches and forced daemons to the sidelines.

But being on the sidelines gave you the perfect opportunity to observe and listen. It allowed you to make note of a witch’s quirks or a vampire’s behavioural patterns. It could help you determine what they were concealing, what they refused to impart upon their colleagues.

Agatha had never felt more grateful for this advantage as she stood before Baldwin, his carefully composed mask curling briefly into a tight frown at the mention of Diana Bishop. She knew that frown; it was the same one he wore whenever his brother was mentioned.

The witch wasn’t with Satu.

She was still with Matthew de Clermont.

Steadying her features, Agatha deflected Baldwin’s remark by focusing on the Book of Life. She made a note to keep an eye on the vampire. Whatever his reasons for shielding Diana Bishop from the Congregation, they might prove useful to her own cause.  


	2. Hamish - Intuition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intuition (pr. /ˌint(y)o͞oˈiSH(ə)n/): noun; the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.

Matthew craved the witch, that much was obvious. His hunger was apparent in his eyes, his gait, the way he raked his hair in restless agitation. He wanted her blood, and badly.

And yet…there was something else, something more than instinct or the Book of Life that drew him towards Diana Bishop. He talked openly of her, volunteering information about her profession, her activities, their encounters and her reactions with very little coaxing. There was even admiration in his tone when he discussed how she stood up to him in the boathouse—coming from Matthew, a man used to a warmblood’s quick compliance, that was high praise indeed.

Oh, Matt, he thought, sadly. You _are_ in trouble.

Hamish didn’t dare voice his thoughts—it was only a hunch, after all, and Matthew would deny it vehemently—but knowing his friend as he did, it appeared that he was falling in love.

Only one question remained: was he pursuing prey, as he’d done with Eleanor and Cecilia, or pursuing a mate?

He reflected on this as he watched Matthew’s car speed off from the lodge, swallowed up by the morning mist.


	3. Marcus - Optimism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimism (pr. /ˈäptəˌmizəm/): noun; hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really tried to keep this one between my established 150-250 word count, but it kinda took a life of its own. I really loved that moment in the book where Marcus and Sarah bond over whiskey and wanted to incorporate it into the showverse somehow.

The likeness between the Sarah Bishop of his memory and her descendent were remarkable—the wild red hair, the steely blue eyes, the blunt, plain speech she used to address everyone (regardless of station or rank or species). For a moment, he’d gone back two and a half centuries and had his friend and mentor before him, sitting in a ramshackle tent with the metallic tang of blood in the air, sipping whiskey and swapping stories about the War. The striking difference was that this Sarah Bishop looked at him with contempt and fear, rather than the warm affection he once enjoyed.

Well, Marcus was never one to let a little thing like fear get in the way of potential friendship. If he could just find a way to start afresh…

He found Sarah in the stillroom with a bitter look on her face and a cup of tea in hand. Their attempts to uncover the secrets of the Ashmole manuscript page had been unsuccessful, leaving the witch simmering with frustration.

“Didn’t take you for a tea drinker,” he remarked, sauntering into the room.

Sarah snorted. “I’m not, but Em’s been trying to get me to cut back on caffeine. Plus, she’s hidden my cigarettes.” She took another gulp—herbal concoction, chamomile, lemon and lavender by the scent it—and grimaced.

Marcus chuckled. “I think you’ll need something stronger than that.”

Her brow arched quizzically. “And I suppose you, in all your vampire wisdom, know what that is?”

With a smirk and a flourish, Marcus produced a bottle of whiskey from behind his back.

Sarah’s eyes widened. “How did…?”

“Your ancestor was fond of spirits,” he said, his smirk transforming into a small, almost sad, smile. “I know it’s presumptuous, but I thought, perhaps, you’d be the same.” He held out the bottle towards her.

For a moment she only stared at Marcus, seemingly dumbstruck by the notion that any vampire would show consideration for a witch (or maybe he _was_ that presumptuous? It was hard to tell). Her eyes shifted to the bottle, then back again. Finally, she declared, “You’re not wrong. Get some shot glasses, Junior. I don’t intend to drink this by myself.”

Marcus beamed. So far, so good.


	4. Miriam - Irreverence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Irreverence (pr. /iˈrev(ə)rəns/): noun; a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.

The whole place reeked of henbane, odorous and rotting, and they weren’t even inside the house yet. She’d never understood why witches were drawn to the stuff – oh, she was aware of its significance in terms of ritual and medicinal use but really, must they carry the damn stuff everywhere? 

A lone cat sat perched on the porch as they walked up the drive, a veritable Bastet guarding against evil spirits. It hissed in Miriam’s direction. She hissed back.

“Be nice, Miriam,” Marcus chided.  

She rolled her eyes as they approached the door. “Surely if we’re here to just guard the place, it’s not essential we go inside, hmm?”

“Yes, but it’s not very social, is it?” he shot back.

She wasn’t particularly interested in being social, especially with _witches_. She’d far rather be back at the lab getting actual work done than babysitting Matthew’s mate’s family.

Miriam sighed. This is for Matthew, she thought, repeating the mantra she’d taken to since she got the call to come to Madison. He’d have done the same for her and Bertrand had the situation been reversed. That didn’t make it any easier to digest.

The door opened and revealed two middle-aged witches, one a pale redhead with a suspicious scowl—good God, the henbane was coming off her in waves—the other dark with silver-gray hair and a cheerfully forced continence, who was currently rambling through introductions and asking them to come inside.

She held back a snort. Did they really think vampires had to be invited in? What a fun stay this was going to be.

Schooling her features, Miriam followed Marcus through the threshold, shooting one last glance at the cat to ensure it stayed put.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the All Souls universe, vampires aren't fond of cats and regard themselves more as "dog people." Yet Matthew's been known to get on with Tabitha rather well, much to Diana's chagrin.


	5. Domenico - Guile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guile (pr. /ɡīl/: noun; sly or cunning intelligence.

Domenico was Venice made flesh: a beautiful façade concealing centuries worth of deceit. It was his home in every sense of the word, and he’d gone to great lengths to keep it that way. When his clan fell, he ingratiated himself with the de Clermonts; when this alliance proved to be unsatisfactory, he made himself useful to Gerbert and the countless other vampires that coveted a Congressional seat. He learned to observe his opponents and play them against each other, to extract favours wherever he could and take advantage of every opportunity presented to him.

And Juliette, so fragile, so erratic, offered him a golden opportunity to find Matthew and the Bishop witch and get the jump on Baldwin.

Oh, the things he could do with _that_ information…

“Why do you never run?” he began.

Juliette, already moving away from the gate, paused.

“Is it really just the promise of Matthew keeping you?”

She refused to meet him, but he knew he’d struck a nerve. He pressed on. “Baldwin claims that Satu has Diana. I think he’s lying.”

She turned, slowly, her face cast with intrigue. He had her attention now.

The secret to getting people to do what you want, he had learned, was to uncover their desires, then, play upon their fears in achieving them. With Juliette, her desire for Matthew was all too evident. Her fear lay in her failure to retain him, a fear that continued to hold her back and keep her in Gerbert’s grasp.

But Gerbert didn’t truly control her. Matthew did. If he could convince her of that, she’d be out of Venice and hot on Matthew’s trail within the week. From there, it would only a matter of time before she found him, and the witch. 

“I’ll get you the file. The way I see it, you either go after Matthew or you burn it and prove I’m wrong, walk away from all this. Either way,” he finished with a prolonged pause, “you’d be free.”

Juliette’s eyes wavered with uncertainty. She stared intently, not seeing him, and clutched the scrollwork of the gate a little tighter.

Domenico took this as his cue to leave. The die had been cast. Now, it remained to be seen whether it would turn over in his favour.


End file.
